It’s no secret. For the second year in a row, Yreka Lady Miner Carrie Watson is the county’s top female high school basketball player. I’d say she’s arguably the best, but I don’t know anyone that would actually argue.

When I watch Carrie play ball, two words come to mind. “Wow,” and “Natural.” “Wow” because she exhibits basketball skills that are far beyond what most high school girls can do. To see anything comparable in Siskiyou County, you’ll need to go check out the Lady Eagles at COS.

“Natural” because nothing ever seems to be a struggle. It doesn’t matter

whether its passing, shooting, rebounding, or defense, Carrie almost always seems to be in control, and just sort of “flowing” her way through the game.

And then there are the scoring stats. Carrie, apparently tired from volleyball where she led the Northern Athletic League in kills and blocks, only dropped 30 points on Eagle Point in the season opener. That’s 30 points in the first game.

Granted, she went “downhill” from there with only 14 against Henley, 18 versus Brookings, and 10 in the Del Norte game. Against Klamath Union she only managed 24 points, and then 18 versus Quincy, 17 against Central Valley, and a mere 20 in the River Valley game (in about 15 minutes of playing time).

In case you didn’t notice, that’s double figures in every game and an average of 18.88 points per game. Let’s just call it 19 ppg.

Yreka’s stats haven’t been posted on MaxPreps. So, I can’t give anything other than scoring, but I would venture to say that Carrie probably also leads the Lady Miners in rebounding, steals, and assists. And, she does it in the context of team play.

At this point, I’m guessing that I don’t need to explain any further why Carrie Watson is an Impact Player Award winner.

The Impact Player Award is given on a monthly basis and goes to Siskiyou County high school athletes, male or female, that have had a significant impact on the success of their team. I select the players based on my own observations, often in consultation with the player’s coaches.

A total of four awards are given each month and are not school specific; they can go to a player at any school that Siskiyou Youth covers. Winners receive Impact T-shirts that were designed by Golden Grotto. The T-shirts and award are cosponsored by Siskiyou Youth and NorCal Classic Hits radio 102.3/101.7.

Watson joins Mt. Shasta’s Eric Thelander and Etna Lady Lion Tandy Thackeray as a December winner (Hey, the holidays put me a little behind). There’s one more to go and I’ll announce it sometime next week.